This specification relates to computer programming, and, more particularly, to value templates in animation timelines.
Some animations or multimedia presentations may include one or more “actors” (e.g., images) performing various tasks, movements, or transitions on a “stage” (e.g., a screen or display). For example, a relatively simple animation may include a transition that hides or shows an object in a computer window. Meanwhile, a more complex animation may include a set of two or more actors (e.g., images of human characters), each actor having a set of elements (e.g., head, arms, body, legs, etc.) that may be displayed in a coordinated or choreographed manner to give the viewer the impression that the actors are moving (e.g., walking, jumping, etc.) across the screen.
In traditional timeline-based animation applications, in order to create more than one hide or show transition for more than one actor, a designer has traditionally taken one of two approaches. First, the designer may perform the animation completely in software code. Alternatively, the designer may create an animation on a timeline for each transition/actor combination, and then use software code to programmatically jump to a selected place in the timeline in order to execute the appropriate combination.